Paper box



ELIE w. LABOMBARDE, or NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

PAPER BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

Application filed April 27, 1917. Serial No. 164,880.

To all wit omit may concern:

of Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper Boxes, of which the following is a specification. 5

This invention relates to paper boxes of the type which can be shipped fiat to customers and then set up for use by the latter,

as needed.

One of the objects ofthis invention is, to provide boxes of this type -wh-ich,whens et up for use, will closely resemble boxes which are furnished to customers already setup and glued, without involving so muoh expense or requiring the space necessary in themanufacture, shipping and storing of such previously set up and glued boxes.

Another object is to. provide a structure of box having a cover section, with improved means whereby the cover may be readily moved to closing position and will be firmly held closed. I I

With these and further objects in view my invention consists in the box or blank substantially claimed.

Ofthe accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank made according to one embodiment of my inven tion.

Fig. 2 Fig. 1. v N

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating one of the preliminary steps ofconverting the blank to box form.

Figs. 4; and 5 are detail perspective views to illustrate successive folding or setting-up steps. The loose ornamental flaps are omit ted from these figures, to enable other. parts to be clearly shown. I 1

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of the set-up box, with the cover open and-closed respectivel t v v Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 the blank is cut and creased to provide a rectangular portion 12 which is to form the bottom of the box, two side wall sections 13, 14, one of which, when the box is to have an integral cover, has an extension 15 provided with tucking flaps 16, 17, 18. The section 13 as hereinafter described and represents a section on line 2-2 of has an extension131 the Be it known that I, ELIE W. LABoMBARDE,

purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Each end wall-portion of the blank comprises sec'tions19, 20, extending from the central portion 12, there bein two parallel creased lines between said sect1ons19, 20, for a purpose hereinafter describe Each section 20 is cut in from its outer edge to provide a locking tongue 21 at the base of which are two short slits 22 extending' toward each other. i i

A flap 23 extends from each end of the sidewall section 13, and a flap 24 extends from each end of the side wall section 14. The flaps 24 are longer than the flaps 23 and the, outer ends of these flaps 23, 24, are illustrated as cut off at an angle of45 degrees,,as at. 25, s 26, respectively, for purposes presently described. a p Each flap 24 is provided with an opening 27 from which short slits 28 extend in opposite directions, to coiiperate with the looking tongue 21. Y

The wall section 13 slit 2;). t

Boxes of'high grade employed for such goods as candy usually have means inside the box cover for. overlying the contents, said means consisting of one or more flaps of thin, ornamental material, called lacepaper, each flap being secured at oneedge is formed with along to an upper portion of a side wall of the box. I attach such flaps to the blank before it is set up, by machinery which feeds strips: of the lace paper and cutsoflt' the proper lengths and adhesively connects them to the portions of the blanks which become the inner upper portions of two of the side walls of'the box when the latter is set up. Oneofthese strips is shownat 30, its inner edge being secured to the section 14; near the crease line which forms the hinge forcover section 15. The other strip 31 has one edge secured to the opposite surface of the blank and preferably to the section 131.

With the construction illustrated, the first step of converting or setting up the blank to box form maybe to fold the section 131 against the inner face ofsection 13. This, as shown in Fig. 3 swings'the lace paper flap 31'sothat its free edge extends opposite to the free edge of the other lace paper flap 30. This folding of flap 131 may be effected later however, after the end wall portions have been folded as shown in Figs. 41 and 5 in which the section 131 is shown as not folded. As a matter of fact, there is no essential difference in the final result whether the section 131 is folded first or later. Fig. 3 shows it as a first fold, mainly to illustrate the position of strip 31 relatively to -strip 30.

After the wall sections 13, 1A are turned up to the Fig. 1 position the flaps 23, 24 are turned toward each other, their inclined edges 25, 26, just meeting, edge to edge.

As they do not overlap, the end walls of the box are less cumbersome than in boxes which do have overlapping flaps at such points. Each flap 24 is longer than its companion flap 23 and therefore has greater area for the opening 27 and slits 28 and permits wider and consequently stronger locking devices 21, 27, 28than would be the case if the two flaps 23, 241, were of equal length, whether the outer edges of said flaps were inclined or not. At the same time the edge of flap 23, when in set-up position, is amply long to be engaged by the end wall sections when they are over-folded as presently de scribed, to be held down and, in turn, hold down the flap 24.

After the flaps 23, 24, are bent to the Fig. 4: position, each section 19. is swung up against the outer surfaces of said fiaps and then each section 20 is carried over inside so that the two sections 19, 20, inclose the,

flaps 23, 24. During the last of the movement of each section 20, its tongue 21 is pushed through opening 27 until the shoulders resulting from the formation of slits 22 interlock with the shoulders which result from the formation of slits 28. This engagement or interlocking is so positive that it is impossible to unlock and unfold the box without tearing the inter-engaging parts. The fact that the flaps 24 are longer than flaps 23 results in the points Where tongues 21 are interlocked with the openings 27 and slits 28 being nearer the center of each end of the folded box than would be the case if the flaps were of equal length. The reason for the double or parallel creases between the sections 19, 20, is to facilitate the end folding operation, including the pushin of the tongues to locked positions.

if the section 131 has not been preliminarily folded but is standing up as in Fig. 5, it is folded over inside as shown in Fig. 6. This section 131 not only strengthens the front wall of the box, but its ends form abutments for the front edges of sections 20 and prevent said sections from bulging in. The rear portions of sections 20can not bulge in because of the locked tongues 21.

The thin paper strips 30, 31, are omitted from Figs. 4 and 5 in the interest of clearness. It will be readily understood that when such strips are located as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and the blank has been folded or set up as described, said strips will extend toward each other as shown in Fig. 6, to overlie goods. in the box, When the cover is closed to the Fig. 7position, thefiaps 17, 18, are tucked inside the tops of the end walls and the flap 16 is slipped through the slit 29, the, lower edge of said flap 16 being then confined between the sections 13, 131, and firmly held thereby.

Owing to the fact that the flaps 23 are continuations of section 13 in the sense of being integral therewith, the slit 29 in said section 13 can be very long without tearing out at its ends. Thatis, the slit 29 can extend nearly if not quite to the corners of'the box so as to receive a very long tucking flap 16 that will hold the cover down uniformly from end to end. Any extension of the slit 29due to tearing at its ends would be arrested at thecorner'or corners of the box because the tear would not extend into a flap 23 which is then at a right angle toqWall section 13. The flaps-23 can not get out of this angular position because they are held between the double wall sections 19, 20. And the latter are held folded because of the interlocking at 21, 27, and also by the ends of section 131 when the latter is present as described, said ends forming stopsor abutments for the front edges of sections 20.

I do not limit myself to the employment of the section 131. If that section is omitted, the thin flap 31 will then be attached to the section- 13 near its edge and just away from the slit 29.

The boxes or blanks may be made, in any size and of any proportions. And it is to be understood that the terms side and end are employed only for convenience of description, and are not to be understood as limitations meaning that the box is elone gated, or if elongated, which dimension is the greatest.

Having now claim:

1. A blank creased to be. folded to form the bottom and wall portions of a box, said blank having a pair of flaps in spaced parallel relationship, the marginal portions of said flaps being secured to opposite surfaces of those portions of two wall sections in such locations as to be at the top when the blank is converted to box form, said flaps being of relatively thin material and free to extend loosely toward each other over the contents of the box.

2. A box blank comprisinga central portion, a front wall section having a slit and end flaps, a rear wall section having a cover section and a tucking flap to engage said slit of the frontwall section and having also described my invention, I

end flaps longer than the end flaps of the front wall section, and

foldable end Wall sections adapted to inclose said end flaps when the blank is converted to box form,

the longer end flaps 5 of the foldable end Wall operating interlocking flaps of the front Wall and the edge portions sections having comembers, the end section extending across the ends of the slit in said section whereby the slit is prevented from tearing beyond the corners when the blank is con- 10 verted to box form.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my ELIE W. LABOMBARDE.

signature. 

